Governor's Office of Minority EmpowermentPERCENTAGE OF MINORITIES IN KENTUCKY STATE GOVERNMENT AT 10-YEAR HIGH

Press Release Date:

Monday, June 06, 2005

Contact Information:

Carla Blanton, Michael Goins, Jodi Whitaker502-564-2611

Fletcher Administration committed to hiring the best and brightest

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- The percentage of minorities employees working in Kentucky State Government is higher than it has been in the past 10 years, according to a report released today by the Kentucky Personnel Cabinet.

The Cabinet’s Semi-Annual Report on Minority Employment shows that, as of December 31, 2004, 8.32 percent of state employees were minorities. Data on minority employment is gathered using voluntary information on state employment applications.

The report reflects minority and female hiring over the last six months of 2004. The statewide percentage achieved as of December 31, 2004 was 49.52 percent for females.

“The Fletcher administration is committed to hiring the best and brightest throughout state government, and to making sure that minorities and females are well represented in our workforce,” said Personnel Cabinet Secretary Erwin Roberts. “The Personnel Cabinet, along with the Governor’s Office of Minority Empowerment, will continue working to make progress in attaining minority and female employment goals.”

Effective July 1, 2004 Governor Ernie Fletcher raised the targeted hiring goal for minority employment from 7.51 percent to 10 percent based on the 2000 census data for Kentucky. This is the first time in more than six years that the minority hiring goal has been changed.

The Governor’s Office for Minority Empowerment and the Personnel Cabinet are studying the state’s selection systems, benchmarking with other states regarding workforce diversity initiatives, and will be making recommendations in order to build more accountability into the state’s processes for recruiting, selecting and promoting qualified minority and female candidates and employees in accordance with KRS 18A.138.

Although some agencies have not obtained the ongoing goals for minority / female employment, many agencies have begun taking proactive steps to identify strategies to meet this goal.

“The Governor’s Office for Minority Empowerment is working to strengthen our efforts to recruit minorities and females for state government jobs,” said Executive Director Tierra Kavanaugh Turner. “Achieving the goals set by this administration is a priority for this office and our administration as a whole. I look forward to continuing to work with the Personnel Cabinet to define ways we can work to make these goals a reality.”